1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 178: Northern Italian Quagmire
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Push the rolling stone down!"

In the northwest of the Apennine Peninsula, on a fortress north of Genoa, Emro, wearing heavy armor, loudly scolded the civilians who were not doing their job well.

On the walls of the fortress, short and strong warriors also wore heavy armor and held up halberds and maces to resist the French army's wave after wave of attacks.

Emro roared, and swung his chain hammer with his strong and short arms, knocking a French soldier who had climbed onto the city wall to the ground.

Screams were endless, blood soaked the stone walls, and the badges carved on the chest armor of the defending soldiers flashed a dark purple light in the sun.

Armenian cross.

They were from the Fifth Legion of the Eastern Roman Empire's Praetorian Guard, and were all Armenian mountain people.

During the siege of Carthage, the Fifth Legion of the Guards suffered heavy casualties, and the original legion commander was killed on the spot. The emperor used the remaining veterans as the backbone and transformed it into a heavy infantry corps. He appointed Emro, who had participated in the Battle of Galata, as the legion commander and personally gave the army the title "Imperial Holy Shield".

Three months ago, the Fifth Legion of the Guards was ordered to reinforce the city of Genoa. Emro led a thousand Armenian warriors and fifteen hundred Berber servants to arrive at the port of Genoa by ship to help defend against the siege of the French.

However, the Genoese Parliament, which had long been a frightened bird, did not fully trust them and ordered them to garrison in several fortresses in the north, where they were also short of supplies and laborers.

As far as Emro knew, by June 1460, all the cities west and north of Genoa had been occupied by the French. The local traditional land nobles did not put up much resistance and welcomed the royal army with food and drink.

Even in the Genoese Parliament there were many pro-French factions who were very dissatisfied with the governor's resistance strategy and believed that negotiations should be conducted with Charles VII in exchange for greater autonomy.

The French army was too powerful, and many people had no desire to resist at all.

After learning that there were only a thousand Eastern Roman regular soldiers coming to aid Genoa, and they were the little-known Fifth Legion of the Guards, the voices advocating surrender became louder and louder. This disagreement also caused the Genoese soldiers defending the city to lose their fighting spirit, and they often engaged in sneaky and cunning behavior.

"Asshole, where are the reinforcements I requested? Is the Council really planning to abandon us?"

Emro grabbed a Genoese herald by the collar and pressed him against the parapet.

"My lord... My lord, I am just a small character. I don't know what they are thinking!"

The Genoese herald's tone was tearful.

"A bunch of cowards!"

Emro threw him away and filled the gap with the last of the reserve troops.

The battle lasted from morning till dusk. When the last rays of sunset disappeared, the call for retreat finally came from behind the siege camp. The French soldiers and their noble retainers began to pick up the corpses and filed out of the battlefield.

In the tower of the fortress, Emro's heart bled as he looked at the shocking casualty statistics.

After a week of bloody fighting, the Fifth Guards Corps suffered more than 200 casualties, and the Berber vassal army suffered more than 600 casualties. With no reinforcements in sight, morale was low and they were on the verge of collapse.

The French also suffered heavy casualties. In just seven days, they left more than 2,600 corpses in front of the fortress, but most of them were vassal troops of Italian nobles, and the elite French main force did not suffer many losses.

At this point, the French had cut off the defenders' retreat from three directions, and only the small path in the east was still under the control of the fortress.

Food and fresh water were still sufficient, but weapons, crossbow arrows and medicines had been exhausted in the high-intensity siege, and the defenders were in a precarious situation.

"No! If we keep fighting like this, we'll be trapped here and die!"

Emro slammed his fist on the table.

"Captain, we have captured a spy in the east. He claims to be a messenger from Genoa!"

"Oh? Let him in quickly!"

Two bodyguards carried a cloaked messenger into the tower and untied him.

The messenger said nothing and took out a ring from his pocket.

Emro recognized the family crest on the ring; it was from the emperor's mother's family, the famous Genoese family of Gattiluccio.

"Lord Emro, something happened in Genoa, the governor was assassinated, and the Adelno and Fregueso families reached a rare agreement. They convened an emergency council, announced an end to resistance, and sent envoys to the French commander, the Duke of Bourbon, in preparation for ending the war in a dignified manner."

The messenger delivered a letter to Emro's desk.

Emro quickly opened the envelope and read ten lines at a glance.

"Shameless bastard, selfish fool!"

The legion commander's face looked extremely ugly.

"Your Majesty, you defeated the Venetians in Malta, and the French transport fleet was wiped out in the attack. Are they so eager to surrender?"

The messenger shrugged.

"No matter how strong Emperor Isaac's navy is, it is impossible to sail on dry land."

"The coast of southern France has been reduced to scorched earth. The refugees are either heading north for refuge or hiding in big cities. There is little point in continuing to raid."

"In other words, they have nothing to fear."

Emro paced back and forth in the room anxiously, thinking about how to break the deadlock.

"Is everyone in the Genoese parliament willing to swear allegiance to the French? Is there no one willing to give it a try?"

"And you? Don't tell me you voted in favor too!"

Emro stared at Messenger Gatilucio fiercely.

"Mr. Commander, you may not know much about Genoa."

"In Genoa, the two major families are in charge of almost all important military and political affairs. Through marriage and exchange of interests, they have won over a group of allies. Most of the time, they are hostile to each other and argue endlessly. Only in a few cases will they reach a consensus."

“It can be said that once they unanimously decide on something, no one else can change it.”

The messenger spread his hands.

"Are you trying to tell me that the rare circumstances that forced them to reach a consensus were when they encountered a powerful foreign enemy and were ready to surrender?"

"Exactly."

The messenger smiled helplessly.

"When the Grand Marquis of Monferrato, the Duke of Savoy, the Duke of Milan, and even the current King of France march on the border, it will be time for the two families to unite and prepare to surrender together."

"Of course there are still those who are unwilling to compromise with the French, but there are very few who are willing to take action."

"The Dorian family, who had served as tribunes for generations, fled and took some of their smaller families south to Corsica to continue resisting the invasion of the French."

"The Snowpia family has split. The Snowpia branch in Corsica is very dissatisfied with the main family's non-resistance and announced that it will join the Doria family's cause of freedom."

"As for us,"

The messenger grunted, took off his cloak and hung it aside.

"We started out as an overseas trade company, which has little to do with local political struggles."

"After the old patriarch Leinster passed away, Uncle Bartholomew never returned to Genoa. He sold the family's main assets in Genoa and continued to focus on the Black Sea trade."

"Similar to us is the Giustitiani family that occupies the island of Lesbos. Their main industry is not in Genoa, and they certainly will not surrender to the French."

"Giustitiani?"

Emro thought about it.

"Is it the family of Chancellor Giovanni?"

"No, Chancellor Giovanni's last name is Longo, and his middle name, Giustitiani, probably comes from his mother, maybe they are relatives."

"In any case, after the rise of Venice, the separation between us colonial families and the mainland became deeper and deeper, and we huddled together with Constantinople for warmth."

"We helped Emperor Michael recapture Constantinople. During the siege of Constantinople seven years ago, the Justitiani family gave us all their support, and two of their young talents died on the battlefield."

"Now that Genoa has surrendered to the French, if the families in the overseas colonies want to continue to exist, they can only ask for the emperor's protection. Joining the empire is not impossible."

"Okay, I think I understand."

Emuro sighed.

"So, you didn't come here just to tell me this bad news?"

"of course not."

The messenger sat down, pulled out a map from Emro's pile of documents, and spread it out on the table.

"This is the entire territory of the Republic of Genoa on the Apennine Peninsula."

The messenger drew a large circle between the Ligurian coast and the Apennines.

"All the land west of Genoa has been occupied by the French."

He drew a vertical line at the dot representing the city of Genoa, dividing the entire territory of Genoa into two.

"We are here."

He marked it northeast of the city of Genoa.

"To our north are mountains, to our south and west are French-occupied areas, and to our east the mountain roads lead to Piacenza and Parma, the territories of John IV."

"However, John IV is now in a dilemma. Sforza, Duke of Milan, has already captured Pavia and quickly seized a large area of ​​territory south of Pavia, cutting off Monferrato and Parma."

"At the same time, Monferrato was attacked by the combined forces of Savoy and France and was about to fall."

"John IV had no choice but to gather the remaining troops in Piacenza, hoping to hold out and wait for reinforcements."

"It sounds like we're really in dire straits this time."

Emro pursed his lips.

"We don't have the energy to care about Monferrato's affairs for now. The emperor has his own considerations."

"However, our top priority is to evacuate this fortress that is deeply trapped by the enemy, bring your two thousand remaining soldiers out intact, and preserve as much manpower as possible."

"Where to go?"

"here."

The messenger drew a small circle on the map, and Emro took a closer look.

"La Spezia?"

La Spezia, a port city located southeast of Genoa, is an important port of the Republic of Genoa.

"Yes, our goal is to evacuate the city of Genoa, which has become a political vortex, and go southeast along the mountain road to seize the port of La Spezia."

The messenger said firmly.

"Why?"

"First, there is a distance between the port of La Spezia and Genoa, and there are also mountains blocking the way. The French army may not move south for a while. We can take this opportunity to consolidate the city's defenses and replenish supplies."

"Why don't the French go south?" Emro asked puzzledly.

"Because they have a stronger opponent."

The envoy's pen focused heavily on the city of Milan.

"Sforza is a rare hero, with outstanding military talent and domestic talent. He is ambitious and determined to become the overlord of all northern Italy. He is the biggest enemy of the Kingdom of France in ruling northern Italy."

"When France and Milan divide up Genoa and Monferrato, which stand between them, and border each other, friction is bound to occur between the two powers."

"They may not take direct action out of fear, but they will never sit idly by and watch the other side continue to expand."

"This is our opportunity."

The messenger was so thirsty from talking that he drank the coffee on the table in one gulp.

"Secondly, there are a number of small states surrounding the Port of La Spezia, and the Republic of Lucca serves as a barrier between Florence in the south, which can help us get out of the quagmire of northern Italy to the greatest extent possible."

"La Spezia itself is located on the coast, so it can receive reinforcements from the emperor to the greatest extent possible. It is directly connected to the Duchy of Parma in the north, so we can help John IV."

"But what will the local forces think if we openly enter the port of La Spezia where we are unfamiliar with it?"

Emro still had doubts.

"It doesn't matter. When our family evacuated Genoa, we sold our property and organized a mercenary group of several hundred people. Together with your two thousand troops, it is enough to make the city council of La Spezia surrender."

"Besides, our Gattiluccio family is a prominent family in Genoa after all, and we have some connections with the local tyrants in La Spezia. With coercion and inducement, it won't be difficult to convince them to accept our 'protection'."

"Why should I trust you?"

Emro vaguely felt that the plan was feasible, but he still felt wary.

The messenger was helpless.

"My name is Dimarco Gattilusio, grandson of Leinster, nephew of Bartholomew, Queen Catherine is my aunt, Emperor Isaac is my cousin."

"After Uncle Bartholomew left, I was in charge of all the affairs of the Gattiluccio family in Italy. I organized the mercenaries and promoted the communication with the La Spezia Parliament."

"Right now, my mercenary group is stationed in an abandoned village in the east. If you want to stay here and wait to die, then go ahead."

Dimarco handed his ID to the legion commander and spread his hands.

"Okay, let's continue."

Emro looked at the document and found that what the young man said was true. He was indeed a core member of the Gattiluccio family.

"In fact, this method is quite common in Northern Italy. Most mercenary leaders rely on this method to enter a city-state, take root there, and gradually embark on the path of military tyrants. This includes the Sforza family, the current number one mercenary family in Northern Italy."

"Humph! We are not mercenaries. Don't try to challenge my loyalty to the Emperor in this way!"

Emro said seriously.

Dimarco ignored it and stared into Emro's eyes.

"So, since you claim to be loyal to your emperor till death, do you want to do something big?"

"After the success, you and I will both receive huge rewards. I may be able to become the heir of the family with the appreciation of Emperor Isaac, and your career will definitely be smooth sailing."

"What do you want to do?"

Emro became alert.

"Charles VII gave Genoa considerable autonomy in order to make them compromise. Do you know why?"

"why?"

"fleet."

DiMarco stood up and spoke word by word.

"The Genoese fleet is what the French want and need most now."

"In order to retain its biggest bargaining chip, the parliament ordered the fleet to leave the port of Genoa early on to avoid being directly seized by the French."

"Guess where they will station their fleet when several major ports in the west have fallen one after another and Corsica has been occupied by the rebels?"

"You mean..."

Emro also got a little excited and stood up.

"Do you still want to do it?"

……

At the same time, in the royal palace of Carthage, Isaac sat high on the throne, glanced at the anxious envoys, and stroked the Persian cat in his arms.

The envoy was named Bonifacio Paleoloo, the third brother of John IV, and was from Monferrato.

Isaac quickly glanced through John IV's letter for help, put it aside, narrowed his eyes slightly, and tapped the throne made of precious wood with his fingers neither lightly nor heavily.

"you……"

Isaac opened his eyes and stared at Bonifacio.

"I remember that John IV hasn't contacted me for a long time, right?"

"Yes, my brother is busy with government affairs..."

Bonifacio watched Isaac's expression carefully.

"Do you feel that you have established a firm foothold in northern Italy and no longer need an ally like me?"

"That's not my intention! It's just——"

"Just what? The local powerful family forced him to cut off ties with me?"

"Or am I forced by geopolitics to flirt with my enemies?"

Isaac actually knew very well that as a monarch, especially a monarch of northern Italy, John IV had to formulate diplomatic strategies based on the political situation to preserve his territory.

The head follows the butt. In order to avoid being bullied by the surrounding powers, John IV must move closer to the Republic of Venice and the Holy Roman Empire to jointly deal with the powerful Duchy of Milan and the Duchy of Savoy.

After all, they lived deep inland, and Isaac's focus was not in northern Italy.

Until now, the powerful Kingdom of France had completely torn apart the diplomatic situation that John IV had worked so hard to build in a rather arrogant and unreasonable manner. Frederick III, who only talked but did nothing, was not enough to make Sforza have any reservations.

Isaac sighed.

"I understand. You have established a firm foothold in northern Italy, your territory is well managed, your diplomacy is excellent, and you have the Holy Roman Emperor and the Doge of Venice to protect you. You do not need an ally like me."

Isaac sat up straight.

"But now you come to me and say, Sir Isaac, please do me justice."

"But you have no respect for me at all. You don't consider me an ally."

"You won't even call me Emperor of the Romans."

Isaac tapped the cat's back gently, pushing his wife's beloved cat out of his arms.

"Your Majesty, your Eminence, Isaac, Emperor of Rome and the Romans!"

Bonifacio was so anxious that he almost cried.

"Frederick III is a ruthless man, and the Doge of Venice is worse than a pig or a dog. They both broke our oath!"

"Pavia has fallen, and Monferrato is surrounded by the combined forces of France and Savoy!"

"Only you can save us!"

Bonifacio fell to his knees, looking anxiously at Isaac.

Isaac walked forward, helped his cousin up, and brushed the dust off him.

"I told you long ago not to pin your hopes on Frederick III, but you refused to listen."

"Charles VII invaded, Sforza became powerful, I couldn't do anything about these things."

"Pavia has fallen, Monferrato is about to fall, and I can't undo these things either."

"But if you follow my instructions, you can still keep half of Parma."

Bonifacio wiped away a tear.

"You mean to say that Pavia and Monferrato can only be given away for nothing to the Milanese and the French?"

"What do you want? You want me to risk everything and forcibly enter northern Italy at the risk of offending the entire Catholic world and being besieged by multiple forces?"

Isaac loosened his hand and looked at Bonifacio with disappointment.

"In fact, compared to the French, Sforza is the real threat. The conditions in Milan are too good. As long as they don't do anything reckless, this city and the surrounding countryside alone are enough to raise an army of tens of thousands of people."

"Unlike the French who came from outside, Sforza represents the interests of the local Italian tyrants and can easily gain support from local forces."

"Even if I really desperately mobilized a large army to attack Sforza, I may not be able to win."

"You will not be able to get back the land he occupied in a short time."

"Then what should we do?"

Although Bonifacio was reluctant, he had to admit that Isaac's analysis was extremely correct.

"Negotiate with Milan and try to reach a temporary peace agreement. You can even encourage Sforza to march to Monferrato and let him deal with the French and Savoys."

"During the negotiations, stabilize the situation in the Dukedom of Parma as much as possible, reach a compromise with local forces, and enhance your own strength."

"Next, leave it to me."

"I have backup plans in Northern Italy. I won't let you fight alone."

Isaac turned his back.

"So, what should we do if Sforza is unwilling to negotiate peace with us and insists on attacking Parma?"

Bonifacio pressed.

Isaac smiled, gently drew the sword from his waist, stroked the sword blade that was shining with cold light, and looked at his face on the mirror-like metal surface.

"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."

(End of this chapter)